Revolving flap-chair



Allg. 21, 1951 1 TEDERS, JR' 2,565,408

REVOLVING FLAP-CHAIR Filed Dec. 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 k. 4 w1 m, @H f m. 1-,: M w Z/ mn. y {,H. WM I-: d 4 y B 5 -i I na7 1K z l1g- 21, 1951 J. TEDERS, JR 2,565,408

REVOLVING FLAP-CHAIR Filed Dec. -2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. (/A/v 7505/9; JA-

ATTOR/VKX Patented Aug. 2f, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFieE `REVOLVING FLAP-CHAIR Jan Teders, Jr., Amsterdam, Netherlands vApplication December 2, 1947, Serial No. 789,281 In the Netherlands December 4, 1946 5 Claims.

The invention relates to a revolving ap-chair to be applied in particular in the gangways of cinemas and theatres atvthe end of the rows of chairs, beside the final partitions of the rows.

The placing of such flap-chairsandtheir construction has to conform tol certain safety instru-ations relating to the breadth of the gangways which are to be kept clear, e. g. to clear the hall quickly in emergencies. Also the construction of these chairsmust be simple and reliable and no manipulation at all must be necessary to fold or turn away the chairs, as this in case of emergencies couldbe easily forgotten.

The object of the 'invention is to provide for a revolving fiap-chairwhich complies with these requirements and wherein the seat is automatically tipped up when thefoccupant of the chair rises and the folded seat and back as a whole are automatically turned away against the partitions to clear the passages.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention the seat is'hinged to the back, which when the seat is tipped Vup is lowered in guides by its own weight, the guides being supported by a sleeve rotatable on a vertical pivot, a torsion spring being applied between said sleeve and said pivot for turning the chair.

Thus, the weight 'of seat and back are utilised to have the seat, when left, automatically turned away and the lowered seat and back also form practically no obstruction in the gangway.

A further object is to minimize the space taken up by the folded and turned-away chair by placing the supporting pivot eccentrically under the seat in its position for use, so that the folded back and seat can be turned to one side of the space taken in before, e. g. against the final partitions of the rows.

These and other features, which I consider as characteristic for my invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims.

The invention itself,` however, both as to its construction and its method ,of operation, together with additional objectsand advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specic embodiments, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 represents a side view and Fig. 2 a top view of the revolving iiap chair when used;

Fig. 3 is a back View of` the chair shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view of the'chairshown in AFigure 1, fhowever with back and seatfolded,'a1though not yet turned over 90.

Fig. 5 is atop vewof the revolving flap-chair 2 according'to the invention in its folded end-position.

Fig. 6 shows to a larger scale a cross-section taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 8 and Fig. 8 shows, on theV same scale as that of Fig. 6, a detail,in longitudinal cross-section, of the topside of the supporting pivot with fittings.

In the drawing, the revolving flap-chair according tothe invention is supposed to be applied in a cinema, the nal partitions E being used as termination `of the normal rows of seats (not shown). In Fig. 3 e. g. a row of seats is placed to the right of the wooden final partition I.

At 4, the seat 2 is hinged to the back bottom side of the back 5 by means of two L-shaped `bent plate strips 3 xedly connected with the seat (see Fig. 1). ASufficient space is left between the top of the seat 2 and the bottom 6 of the back 5 to allow the two parts to adjoin each other (see Fig. 4).

The lower part of the back 5 is embraced by a substantially U -shaped metal plate l, which forms one body with the back 5. On either side of this plate, two supporting side-plates 3 of suitable shape are provided each of which contains a groove 9 and holes through which a supporting rod I0 forthe seat is passed.

Around this rod I0 a spring is coiled which, with its free end II resting against the bottom of the seat 2, tends to tipup this seat. At the top sides Vof the U-shaped plate l, two pins I2, projecting sideways, are'provided which t into the grooves 9 and so serve as guides for guiding the back 5 between supporting side-plates 8. These pins I2 form the only connection between the supporting side-plates and the back 5. The side-plates 8 are each xedly connected by means of sup- Dortingprole vrods I3 to a sleeve I5 rotating round the supporting pivot Il! (see Fig. 3). In the embodiment shown in the iigures, these profiled rods I3 areHU-s'haped in cross-section and they are weldedbo'th to the sleeve I5 and to the plates :3. The pivot III is-screwed into a flange I which is again xed 'to the licor by screw bolts. This pivot is placed eccentrically relatively to the .centre of the seat, when in use so that it remains under the seat when this has been folded and vturned round and does not form an obstacle for thepassage to `therows of the xed seats. It is at the top connected with its screw-threadend I"I to .thewooden end-partition I by means of The sleeve I5 rotates with little play round the pivot I4.

The chair is xed in its position for use (see Figs. l-3) by a locking mechanism. In the embodiment shown, this locking mechanism (Fig. 6), located between pivot I4 and sleeve I5, consists of a -cylindrical pawl I9, which is enclosed by a transverse bore hole 20 of the pivot I4 and controlled by a pressure spring 2l. This pawl, owing to its shape, cannot project with its globular head 22 from the sleeve I5, but ts into a longitudinal groove 23 of that sleeve I5. In this groove, a flat cam piece 24 can slide (Figs. 7 and 8) which is kept within this groove as it is enclosed by a ledge 25 fixed, e. g., by welding to the sleeve I5 in the longitudinal direction of this sleeve, which ledge has a groove 2S closed at the top of the pivot. The cam piece 24 is hinged to a release rod 2l which is fork-shaped at its lower side and hinged at its top (at 28) to the hindmost portion of the lower side of the back of the seat 2 (see Fig. 1). In these figures, 29 indicates a protecting covering or upholstering of a suitable material which largely hides from view the hinge plates 3, the spring il, the

frod I and the hinges 20.

Returning to the Figures 6 and 8, a center bore A3l) is provided at the inner side of the sleeve I5 on the level of bore hole 20 and pawl I9, which center bore lies at right angles to the longitudinal groove 23 of the sleeve I5. Fig. 8 shows a ball-bearing 3| provided between the top of the sleeve and the ring-shaped top surface of the supporting pivot I4, whereby, through sleeve I5, the weight of the occupant is largely transferred to the pivot I4. if the ball bearing is made with sufficient vertical play the weight is yieldingly opposed by a screw spring 32 of heavy construction and low compressibility lying around the lower end of the pivot I4, the top winding of which spring lies against a disc 33 which rests against the lower part of the sleeve, the lower winding pressing on the screw ilange I6. This spring 32 will for preference be carried out as a torsion spring, for which purpose it is connected by a top winding to the sleeve I which it tends to turn in the direction required for turning away the chair.

The folding and turning away of the revolving flap-chair according to the invention from the position of Fig. 1 to that of Fig. 5 takes place as follows:

After the occupant has risen, the seat 2 will move upwards under the action of the spring I I. This disturbs the balance between seat 2 and back 5l and the latter moves downwards by its own weight, the pins I2 sliding through the guiding grooves 9 in the supporting side plates 8. When they have arrived at the lowest point of the grooves 9, the position of seat 2 and back 5 will be that shown in Fig. 4. During this combined movement, however, the rod 21 with its cam piece 24 will likewise move downward. The rod 21 is of such length, that at the end of the movement of seat 2 and back 5, the bevelled rportion 34 of cam 24 presses the locking pawl '523k in the inward direction.

Finally, the nonbevelled portion of the cam will lie against the pawl (see also Fig. 4). The sleeve I5 and with it the whole upper part of the chair is now released relatively to the pivot I4 and, by the action of the torsion spring 32, is turned around the pivot I4.

The head of the pawl 23 glides along the inner surface of the sleeve until the bore 3U comes to lie opposite to the head 22 of the pawl I9, which snaps into it fixing the position after a revolution of This position is shown in top view in Fig. 5.

I claim:

1. A revolving folding chair comprising a supporting pivot adapted to be fixed to a floor in an upright position, a sleeve mounted on said pivot for reciprocating turning movement, spring means acting on said sleeve tending to turn it one direction, a frame ixedly secured to said sleeve in an eccentric position above said pivot, a back slidably mounted in said frame for substantially vertical movement, a seat pivotally supported in said frame and articulated at its rear end to the lower end of said back, and spring means acting on said seat tending to turn it upwards against said back with a simultaneous downward sliding movement of said back.

2. A revolving folding chair comprising a supporting pivot adapted to be ixcd to a floor in an upright position, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said pivot for reciprocating movement over an angle of 90 between two distinct positions corresponding to an operating and a rest position of the chair, spring means engaging said pivot and said sleeve tending to turn the latter from said operating to said rest position, a locking mechanism for locking said sleeve to said pivot in said operating position, a frame iixedly secured to said sleeve in an eccentric position above said pivot, said frame having two spaced side poi'- tions, a back pivotally and slidably mounted between said side portions for substantially vertical movement, a seat pivotally supported between said side portions and articulated at its rear end to the lower end of said back so as to form a movable combination therewith allowing an upward turning movement of the seat and a simultaneous downward sliding movement of the back until the seat and back are folded against one another in a substantially vertical position, second spring means acting on said movable seat and back combination tending to fold these parts together, and releasing means for said locking mechanism actuated by said seat and back combination upon the folding movement thereof in the operating position of the chair.

3. A revolving folding chair comprising a supporting pivot adapted to be fixed to a door in an upright position, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said pivot for reciprocating movement over an angle of 90 between two distinct positions, locking means releasably retainingI the sleeve in the one or the other of said position, a torsion spring about said pivot tending to turn said sleeve in one direction, a frame fixedly secured to said sleeve in an eccentric position above said pivot, said frame having two spaced vertical side portions provided with two parallel slightly rearwards inclining slots, a horizontal rod extending between said two side portions in front of the lower ends of said slots, a back having two oppositely sideways projecting pivot pins engaging and slidable in said slots, a seat pivotally supported by said rod, a hinge connection between the r-ear end of said seat and the lower end of said back, the pins of said back in the seating position of the chair abutting the upper ends of said slots and said hinge connection allowing the seat and back to be folded together to a substantially vertical position by an upward turning movement of the seat about said rod and a simultaneous downward slidingmovement of the back in said slots, and a spring fixed to said rod and acting on said seat tending to turn the latter upwards.

4, A revolving folding chair comprising a supporting pivot adapted to be xed to a floor in an upright position, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said pivot, a frame xedly secured to said sleeve in an eccentric position above said pivot, said frame having two spaced side portions, a back slidably mounted between said side portions for substantially vertical movement, a seat pivotally supported between said side portions, a hinge connection between the rear end of said seat and the lower end of said back allowing the folding together oi the seat and back to a substantially vertical position by an upward turning movement of the seat and a simultaneous downward sliding movement of the back, spring means acting on said seat tending to turn it upwards, a slot provided in said sleeve, a resilient pawl mounted in said pivot and adapted to enter said slot to lock the sleeve in one position, a cam slidable in said slot and adapted to engage said pawl moving it out of said slot, coupling means between said seat and said cam moving said cam into engagement With said pawl when the seat is turned up, thereby to unlock the sleeve, a torsion spring about said pivot and acting on said sleeve, and blocking means holding the sleeve when turned by said torsion spring from said locking position at a right angle therewith.

5. A revolving folding chair comprising a supporting pivot adapted to be xed to a oor in an upright position, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said pivot, a frame xedly secured to said sleeve in an eccentric position above said pivot, said frame having two spaced side portions, a back slidably mounted between said side portions for substantially vertical movement, a seat pivotally supported between said side portions, a hinge connection between the rear end of said seat and the lower end of said back allowing the folding together of the seat and back to a substantially vertical position by an upward turning movement of the seat and a simultaneous downward sliding movement of the back, spring means acting on said seat tending to turn it upwards, said rotatable sleeve being provided with a longitudinal slot and with a recess in its inner surface located at a angle from said slot, a vertical guiding member xed to the outside of said sleeve along said slot, said pvot having a radial bore located in a horizontal plane crossing said recess and the lower part of said slot, a pawl radially slidable in said bore and adapted to enter said slot thereby to lock said sleeve to said pivot in one position, said pawl having a rounded head adapted to engage said recess to releasably hold said sleeve in a second position, spring means in said bore pressing said pawl radially outwards, a cam vertically slidable in said guiding member and having a beveled portion inside said bore adapted to engage the head of said pawl pressing the latter inwards out of engagement with said slot, a coupling rod articulated at one end to the rear end of said seat and at ts other end to said cam, said rod moving said cam downwards over said pawl to unlock the sleeve when the seat is turned upwards, and a torsion spring about said pivot and acting on said sleeve tending to turn the latter from said rst locking position to said second holding position.

JAN TEDERS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 824,551 Knight Aug. 18, 1885 709,285 Wilkinson Sept. 16, 1902 '775,879 Wiersching et al. Nov. 22, 1904 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 801,882 France May 30, 1936 

